this morning on "early today," turbulent times. new rules for air passengers will mean more pat-downs and tougher security at the airport. new year chill. 2010 kicks off with numbingly cold temperatures across the nation. d king of the ska scrapers. soaring more than a half a mile into the sky, the world's tallest building gets ready to open in dubai. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with new rules for this new year. under a policy implemented just this morning, travelers from more than a dozen hand-picked nations will be facing stepped up security measures when flying into the united states. with global threats rapidly emerging, the list targets old foes from libya, iran, pakistan and iraq. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: passengers flying into the united states from other countries will face tougher random screenings, including full body scans. travelers from seven high-risk countries, including nigeria and yemen, will be getting full body patdowns and hands-on luggage inspections. it's the latest fall out from northwest flight 253, a plot allegedly hatched by al qaeda. >> part of something larger from al qaeda. >> reporter: on the sunday talk shows, white house

counterterrrorism adviser, john brennan committed the nation's intelligence agencies had but failed to connect a series of dots. still, he insists the system wasn't broken. >> there was no smoking gun. we might have had a partial name but there was nothing that brought it altogether. >> reporter: that echo tom contain, who argues the obama administration has been distracted by heating care and other challenges. >> it's understandable but not acceptable. >> reporter: former cia and hsa chief michael hayden said it's time for ordinary americans to make some tough choices. >> what's the balance the american people want between their privacy and their security? >> reporter: meanwhile, the u.s. and british embassies in yemen have been ordered close amid new evidence al qaeda is planning another attack. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. there is a big chill for a big part of the nation this morning as millions of americans

try and shake off a deep winter freeze. whether it's blinding snow or bone-chilling cold, january is making its mark. nbc's fran kes kowe reports. >> reporter: this was virtually nil in grand rapids, michigan. locals battled the snow owe all sides from residents, city snowplows. >> busy since 4:30 this morning. >> reporter: lake-effect snow hammered south bend, indiana, with wheout cditions that made driving tricky for drivers and pedestrians. >> it was slippery out here. i tell people to be cautious. >> reporter: meantime, philly's big chill rced many into a big bundle. in parts of new engnd snow settled into a stubborn layer. >> i pushed the driveway with a oom the first time. now i'm just going over it again. you keep up with it, it's not so bad sfwlr in

bad. >> reporter: imaine, eight inches had skiers flying gh. >> it's a winter wondeand. >> now here's a look at som other stories making news early today in america. three teenagers were rescued after being stranded on an ice sheetin a michigan river. their boat diedn a frigid 4 degree weather and that forced them to float across a floating piece of wayward ice. firefighters usedn air boat to rescue them. orange farmers in florida are sambling to save their trees. some have sprinkler running all week. the younger trees arespecially vulnerable to frost and e constant miss ma make the difference between a fruitful orchard. > on colorado couple to a snificant starting line. the pair decided to get married on a racetrack, as it's the activy that first brohthem

togetr. while the two survived fiery crashes, fortunately a safe victory lap. but this union right on track. what a way to start a marriage. and a pledge made 20 years ago by third graders in washington brought former assmates back to their school. the third grade class vowed to meet at non on new year's day in 2010. the teacher said he didn't know how many people would show up. the reunited class now plans t do it in 2010. that's some school spirit. now here's a look at your national and regional weather with nbc meteorologistill karins with the weather channel forecast. bill, i didn't go to my high school reunions. i feel guilty now. >> which one did you miss? >> the ten. >> oh. you're young. >> i'm going with the 20. i'm going to stick for the 20. >> you're still young. >> let's talk about what's going on withyour temperatures. the arctic blast wa a big deal this weekend. itontinues this morning. poor friends in minneapolis, it's been a brutal week.

minus 8 is the temperature. chicago is at 8. kansas stickers 7. new orleans, 40, is chilly. cold up and down the east coast. florida is one of the conrns. rig now 36 degrees in orlando. we're avoiding the har freeze at least today and into this rnin temperatures out there in hal ha see, 27. savannah, 25. freeze warning all the way down into theverglades near lake okeechobee. overnight ws coldtwoore nights. i think the oranges will be all right. they really struggle ithe mid-20s. right now we' in the upper 20s to low 30s. the wind chill, everyone is about in the single digits. this is as cold as it gets. we c thank the big wter storm near mai for all the cold. that's your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. some snow showersnear the lakes once agn.

temperatures are the big deal. the win will not be quite as bad as tey were in new england. still cold any way you cut it from florida northward into maine. lynn, january is known for its bigold outbreaks. fortutely we're not going to get a break this tim we get one cold outbreak and another one towards the weekend. >> it's living up to its name. thanks so much, bill. g.m. star the year on an upbeat note but will wall street? your early morning business headlines are straig ahead. known as a fashion di, jennifer lopez takes a dive on new ar's eve. > jets fly to the playoffs. the jets are inbut a sta receiver isout. you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. passengers at newark

labority airport are being allowed to board their flights again after a security breach grounded planes for some six hours last night. travelers at the new jersey airport had tobe re-screened after a still unidentified man was seen walki through a screeni checkpoint exit into the secure side soast terminal. > a florida man suspected o murdering his family on thanksgiving day is now in police custy, all thanks to the television show "measuring's mostwaed." motel owners in the florida keys say they recognized the suspect after seeing a preview for the program late saturday and quickly contacted authorities. the secret service says it's investigating an 6th any of president obama found hanging from a building in plains, georgia, the hometown of former president jimmy carter. the secret service has confirmed the agency is investigating. ofcials are monitoring a volcano on the indian ocean island of reunion that erupted sunday with little warning.

it was evacuated minutes before the volcano began spewing lava. another volcano in eaern congo is rising concerns. scientists say it will destroy 25 acres of nearby forest. dubai is celebrating the opening of the tallest building today. the government hopes the unveiling othe structure helps revitalize the city's economy which was serious hit by a debt crisis. >> and nowere'a look at how wall street will kick off the day and the year after this holiday weekend. the dow opens at 10,428 after sinking 120 points. the s&p lost 11. and the nasdaq dipped 22 points. taking a look at overseas trading is morning, in tokyo, the knee day gained 108 points to start off the new year, but in hong kong the hang seng fell

49 points. speaking of the new year, a lot of pressure on stocks in the first few weeks as inveors search for clues about what's ahead. asoned traders wilbe watching for something called the january effect, which some say could set the tone for the entire year. historically investors sell off shares to claim on their taxes and buy again in january. that trend held te last year. stocks started out high in 2009 and ended the year at the highe level in six years. markets overseas o to a good start. struggling japan airlines soared 30% after news it will get a $2.2 billion cash infusion from the bank of japan. back home, investors looking ahead to key economic data this week. friday, the government will deliver a update on the jobs front. economists predict an average 23,000 jobs were lost in

december. and keep an eyen g.m. ahead of tomorrow's fresh figures on us. auto sals, general motors is out th some impressive numbers overseas today. g.m. said its sales in china are up 66% over lastyear. tapping into a major market and new demographic, mattel announced it is partring up with wld wrestlng entertainment. mattel will be shipping out action figures from wwe sma smackdown and raw. a sicilian m was turned away because he hadn't committed any ime, he he up the shop the next door with a box cutter for a pack of candy. who beat who on the last y of the season in the nfl and who

is goin to the playoffs? for starters, the new york jets are going after stampeding their way against the cincinnati bengals. your early morning sports eadlines are straight ahead. we started the new year with an incredible arctic blast. guesswhat? there's anotr one bend it. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early tod."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early tod." in spor, in an unusual scenario the new york jets are headed to the postseason with their first matchup against the same team they stm rolled yesterday to get there. here's nbc's mario solis with an early ok at all ur sports headlines. good morning. it was pretty simple for the new york jets, win and you're in the playoffs. they didn't just win, they dismantled the cincinnati beals in the final game at giants stadium. ocho sink cofactor for the bengals. brad sth doing it all himself. takeshe snap. rumbles 32 yards to the house. jets up, 17-0. they go to shut out the bengals, 37-0. setting autopsy a rematch between these two teams saturday in the afc wild card game. the patriots will limp into the playoffs their most reliable receiver, wes welker tore his acl and mcl

on what seemed to be a harmless play against the texans but he's done for the season. they did what they had to do to make the playoffs. the jets also won, new york wi the wild card. pats will play the ravens. they were in oakland and ran all over the raiders. on of the best stiff arms you'll see, rhing for 167 yards and three touchdown ravens clinch a wild card spot, 21-17. he win eliminates the defending super bowl champions steelers. packers destroyed the cainals. arzonaas dresng many of its startersnd it showed. green bay won 33-7. the pack wi play the cdinals next week in arizona. and it will be deja vu in dallas on saturday. cowboys shut down the eagles. felix jones with a 49 td romp in the third. dallas wednday big, 24-0.

third time in franchise history cowboys have d back-to-back shutouts. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. your early morning entertainment headlines arstraht ahead. plus, know how the oldest twin always likes to tease the oth? these guys will have a lot to battle about in the years ago. you're watching "early today

well, welcome back. the windchill was biting all weekend long and it continues this morning. the wind chill is 6 in atlanta, georgia this morning. you know it's cold when atlanta is at 6. windchill advisories all going down south. windchill in miami is 43, which for them is a little shocking to the system. temperatures will struggle to the 30s in most locations. it's a slow warmup but another arctic blast comes next weekend. don't count on anything warm at least for a while. if you're watching wnbc 4 in new york, see the mysteries of the great lakes and discover the lakes untold stories at the american museum of natural history. that's your eastern event of the day, lynn. >> better stay indoors today, bill. stay warm.

now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. hyped as the film of the decade, "avatar" now actually has the chance to be the film of the decade. with $68 million, "avatar" posted a third straight number one weekend. it shot past the $1 billion mark, the fifth movie to pass that threshold ever. that makes director james cameron the only filmmaker to produce two movies topping $1 billion. number two was robert downy jr. thriller" sherlock holmes." and third is "alvin and the chipmunks: the squeakquel." . $157 million after just ten days. finally, she started the decade with a stunning fashion statement wear that transparent

green chiffon dress. tongues are still wearing after her bizarre fashion statement to end the decade, a less than flattering sheer sparkling body suit performing there in 2009 square on new year's eve. hmmm. >> here's my question for you, lynn. since she was on stage before the ball dropped and after, if she eligible for worst dressed in 2009 and 2010. this comes to us from wfla news channel 8 in tampa, florida, where a set of twins will forever share a unique story. they weren't born on different days or years, but different decades. the mother went into labor new year's eve. march cello came out in 2009 and his brother born a one into 2010. how about that? i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

[captioning made possible by constellation energy] >> a cold and blustery condition this week. we're going to be seeing as our highest temperature all week long the upper 30's. today we're going to be well below that. below freezing yet again. a clear start to the day, but we are going to see the clouds thicken this afternoon. we're in the 20's right now, but that's somewhat deceiving because the winds are gusty, 15 to 20 miles an hour. the real feel temperatures, feels like nine in westminster rite now. the wind chill in downtown, 12. 14 out at the airport.

the wind chill in easton, 1313 degrees. bundle up. details on maybe some snow coming up. >> 4:57. here's a look ahead. >> the ravens show they have what it takes to make it to the playoffs. how far will they go? that's the subject of our "watercooler question of the day." >> i'm brook hart in washington. i'll have the latest on new screening rules in place for air travelers. also the latest on the christmas day bomb plot investigation coming up. >> even sarah caldwell getting you ready for your morning commute. icy conditions reported on the area roads. plus wind warnings in effect at the bridges.

captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> sarah caldwell has the forecast.